By Africa Correspondent Jane Standley

Former South African President Nelson Mandela has urged the deployment of a peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo as quickly as possible.

Mr Mandela, who has been appointed as peace mediator in neighbouring Burundi, was speaking after talks with the Congolese opposition leader, Etienne Tshisikedi, who has been allowed to leave DR Congo for medical treatment in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela went as far as to say that it was the UN's duty to send troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Western countries and the UN Security Council must act quickly, he said, to overcome the difficulties which had so far prevented any deployment.

But Africa's elder statesman knows that those difficulties are very great indeed.

The Security Council this week stopped short of committing itself to sending a fully-fledged peacekeeping force.

Protection force

Instead, it is recommending a mission of 5,000 troops and supporting personnel as a protection force for 500 unarmed military observers.

The observers are to make sure that all sides in the Congolese conflict stick to a ceasefire agreement which they signed six months ago, but which they have largely ignored.

The UN and its member states are unwilling to go any further until the ceasefire agreement is respected.

But despite a week of talks at the Security Council involving the countries participating in the Congo conflict - Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia - nothing has really been achieved.

Key opponent

The Congolese President and former rebel, Laurent Kabila, will also be unhappy that Nelson Mandela has been meeting Mr Tshisikedi - one of Mr Kabila's key opponents, who in the past has been confined to house arrest in Congo.

President Kabila has already accused South Africa of being biased against him, throwing up another obstacle to peacekeepers and peace.

South Africa has been instrumental in trying to end the conflict in DR Congo and has been expected to be instrumental in any military force deployed there.